Update - 2011

     As we move into a new year, our small church plant is already experiencing some amazing opportunities!  In our last meeting there were 6 people in attendance & we agreed to take a break for the holidays.  We're starting up again on the 9th of January but since the break, we have been in contact with several others who have expressed an interest in joining our group.  If everyone were to show up who says they want to show up, we will have gone from 6 to 20+.  This includes some families with children (including my own who have yet to attend).
     Based on this, I realized there was NO WAY we would be able to fit all those people in the house we currently meet in.  After sharing this news at a Christmas Eve service, I was presented with the possibility of being given access to a building in Lemon Grove for our group to use.  The space will potentially be free (or @ most at an extremely reduced rate).  We have yet to visit the location but are excited by the way God is already answering our needs.  The person who made the offer emphasized the fact that the space in question is, "Unfinished," which excited me even more because like that building, we too are a work in progress.
     Our goal with Refuge is to build up a community where we can mutually experience God and grow together in our faith.  I love when Paul writes in the book of Romans, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Rom. 1:11-12).  That's how I feel about these people - I long to get back into meeting together and continuing our journey toward a closer relationship both with Christ and with each other.  
     Pray for us...